Immigration blanks 3 Jamaicans
THREE Jamaican students who were denied renewal of their student permits are prepared to go to court so they can stay in Trinidad to study Hinduism at the Chinmaya Vidalaya High School, in Couva.
Their lawyer has since written to the Chief Immigration Officer for an explanation, and has said they will seek an injunction preventing them from being deported.
Attorney Saira Lakhan, who represents the three, yesterday wrote to Chief Immigration Officer Charmaine Gandhi-Andrews.
In the letter, Lakhan said the three expressed a strong interest in Hinduism and its teachings which were not available in Jamaica. The lawyer said the three lived in a tenement yard in Jamaica, and since their parents were not able to support them financially in Jamaica, a Trinidadian agreed to sponsor them so that they could attend the Chinmaya Vidalaya High School.
Lakhan said the three were accepted by the school June 8, 2017, and they followed all the necessary guidelines for registration of a non-national in a school locally.
They were also granted student permits, which expired in July, and their sponsor paid their school fees.
The three went to the Immigration Division in July to renew their permits and filled out the necessary paperwork.
On September 25, they again met with an immigration officer who stamped “approval” on the permits, and the extension fees were paid. Their school fees were also paid by their sponsor.
Lakhan said on October 12, another immigration officer contacted the school, telling them the students’ permits were declined and that the institution was liable to a fine of $50,000 for having the three remain there.
The lawyer told Gandhi-Andrews, to date, there has been no official correspondence from the Immigration Division on why the students’ permits were declined.
She also said the three were devastated and distressed about having to return to school in Jamaica and accused the Immigration Division of depriving them of opportunities for religious and educational advancement.
Lakhan also said it appeared that the granting of student permits was being done haphazardly.
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"Immigration blanks 3 Jamaicans"